3 Ways To Strengthen Press Freedom At The U.S. Justice Department

One of the most troubling things about the politicians and pundits who are calling for Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald’s prosecution, calling him an accomplice to Edward Snowden’s leaks, is that just a month ago we saw the same language coming out of the Justice Department itself. Before the National Security Agency leaks captured the nation’s attention, a series of revelations about the DOJ’s assault on press freedom shook the journalism community.

Using a secret subpoena, the Justice Department had collected the phone records for Associated Press reporters and editors as part of an investigation into military leaks. In another leak investigation, the Department had subjected a Fox News reporter to extensive surveillance after labeling him “an aider, abettor and/or co-conspirator” in the leak investigation. More recently, McClatchy recently reported on an administration-wide effort to crack down on whistleblowers called Insider Threat in which “leaks to the media are equated with espionage.”